born on the third of july

Happy birthday to Joseph; I'll bring you back something chocolate-related.

The Internet's been down, so you'll just have to imagine the last week. All-day tours of cheese factories . . . swimming . . . lots of chocolate . . . quite a few diapers to change (new baby niece) . . . and about forty million books read to the young Stradlings (version 1.1 and 1.2). Aubrey has my number. She quickly figured out that her aunt is good for one thing and one thing only: to read aloud to her until laryngitis sets in.

And it has been an educational week. I have learned that: 1) there are ticks in France (gross); 2) wallpapering is fun, and less messy than paint; and 3) Arthur the aardvark's last name is Read. Also, that cheese has to be washed in salt water once a week and is stored with a slight spray of ammonia. Mom and I have discovered Diet Orangina, which is a passable substitute for Diet Coke. No one fall over or anything, but my detox has worked. My last caffeinated beverage was consumed on the morning of June 21.